On November 2-3, 2024, RWI’s thematic leader on the environment and human rights, Matthew Scott, contributed as an expert and facilitator in a seminar for the parliamentarians on the topic of “Just transition-what does it mean for the Armenian Parliament?”. The seminar focused on the concepts of Green and Just transition from a human rights perspective, considering the Armenian context. By the end of the seminar, participants were able to clearly explain the steps parliamentarians and their staff need to take to enhance the just and green transition as well as improve their understanding of the topic.
More information: http://www.parliament.am/news.php?do=view&cat_id=2&day=03&month=11&year=2024&NewsID=21341&lang=eng
On November 1, 2024, Matthew moderated a session on “How Academia, Private Sector, and International Community Responds to Challenges” during the conference entitled “Climate Change and Energy Transition: Opportunities for parliamentarians to act”. The conference was hosted by the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. The goal of the conference was to encourage parliamentarians to intensify their efforts in more effective climate action as well as support the process of sustainable energy transition in Armenia.
More information: http://www.parliament.am/news.php?do=view&cat_id=2&day=03&month=11&year=2024&NewsID=21341&lang=eng
On July 16, 2024, RWI Senior researcher Alejandro Fuentes, delivered an online session on the Drafting of the Law on National Minorities on the order and powers of the Council of National Minorities, establishment, powers, and other regulations of ethnic minority organizations norms regarding the “Protection of Minorities in Sweden Domestication of the Council of Europe Standards ” during a two-day workshop organized by the UNDP for the parliamentarians on the topic of “Draft law on national minorities”.
In March 2024. a “Human Rights Talk” event was organised in cooperation with UNDP for the Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs as well as staff members, where Morten Kjaerum, RWI Affiliated Scholar and former director, gave a speech on the topic of “Human Rights, Ethics - Impact of Hate Speech and Disinformation (global/international perspective”.
More information: http://parliament.am/news.php?do=view&cat_id=2&day=07&month=03&year=2024&NewsID=20210&lang=eng
On May 30, 2023, RWI’s (then) Director Morten Kjaerum spoke at the Human Rights Talks event in Yerevan. The theme addressed at the event focused parliament’s role in human rights promotion with a specific focus on the impact of hate speech and disinformation. The Human Rights Talks event in Yerevan was co-moderated by Zuzana Zalanova, Director of RWI’s Europe Office, and Ruzanna Hayrapetyan, Associate Project Coordinator at UNDP Armenia.
On June 2-4, 2023, a two-day research workshop co-organised by RWI took place in the Armenian capital Yerevan. 21 staff members from various standing committees participated in the workshop. Through interactive sessions with experts, participants were exposed to contemporary analytical and investigative approaches on how to engage and act on human rights issues in their respective field of work. As a result, workshop participants have gained and enhanced their knowledge and capabilities to conduct human rights analysis and research with regards to law and policymaking.
Another activity designed as part of the RWI-UNDP collaboration on strengthening the capacity of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia in terms of human rights protection was a study visit for members of Armenia’s Parliament on 27 August – 2 September 2023. The group of 10 Armenian MPs got to meet diverse stakeholders engaged in work on various aspects of human rights in Sweden. Connections between natural resource management and rights were explored during the meeting with Stockholm Environment Institute, while the promotion of equal parenthood was addressed during the meeting with an NGO “MÄN”, and gender budgeting was presented at the meeting with the Research Service of the Swedish Parliament. The visit has shown the strong demand for the continuation of learning exchanges between the Armenian Parliament and Swedish public agencies and CSOs.
